In honor of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and its annual campaign highlighting how people with and without disabilities come together to form strong communities; Transylvania Vocational Services (TVS) is proudly celebrating our community partnership, “Reading Buddies,” with Mountain Sun Community School.
The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) 2024 theme, “A World of Opportunities” aims to raise awareness about inclusion of people with Developmental Disabilities (DD) in all areas of community life and reminds us to explore the work still needed to remove barriers.
TVS and Mountain Sun Community School have been working together since 2018 with the Reading Buddies program. “This partnership helps the TVS participants learn leaderships skills, along with helping the students and participants to have relationships with others that are not paid service providers,” said TVS DSP Ashleigh Alquiza. “When you look at communities and individuals with DD, there is a critical divide that sometimes separates rather than includes them. Reading Buddies is helping bridge that gap.”
Participants join students every other Friday for reading and literacy activities. Each group ranging from five to six students plus a TVS participant showcase creativity by creating skits, crafts, songs, and dances to accompany the readings.
“Through our adventures with Mountain Sun Community School we have grown, gained confidence, and made some lifelong friendships,” said TVS INTERACT Supervisor Brooke Wilson. “A true partnership is about people listening to one another and working together to accomplish a common goal. Each person contributes in their own unique way and with respect and learning for all.”
This partnership offers TVS participants opportunities to develop leadership skills while encouraging long lasting relationships in an inclusive and mutually benefiting environment.
“Our class reading lessons are far more engaging with our [TVS] Reading Buddies here,” said Brigid Cameron, Mountain Sun Community School Teacher. “Concepts such as literal and figurative, inferring, setting, or plot are the main focus for our morning lessons, but the real learning is about working with diversity.”
The benefits of this community partnership stretch past the immediate benefits of reading and literacy. Each individual and student is developing self-advocacy skills, gaining confidence, and creating problem-solving skills with life-long friendships.
“I have seen children grow more comfortable with diversity, engage more fully with new people and guests, and their creativity and openness expand,” reflected Cameron. “Having a break from our Reading Buddy program during COVID impressed upon me the need we all have to embrace the beautiful friendships we have created with our class and our friends who learn with us every other Friday.”
Mountain Sun Community School holistically nurtures, challenges, and guides each unique child to discover academic skills using Montessori principles, explore the natural world, create through self-expression, and belong to a collaborative, diverse, and peaceful community. We invite you to learn more at: https://mountainsunschool.org/
Read in the Transylvania Times.
